City will host Co-Ed Kickball Tournament

July 11, 2010 at 2:11 a.m.

What events or programs will the city offer in the next couple of months?

On July 17 and July 18 we will host the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Adult Co-Ed Kickball State Tournament at the Adult Softball Complex next to the community center. Teams from all over the state will be vying for the right to be the best Co-Ed kickball team. Entry fee is $100.

Deadline for entry is July 13, so get your entry form in quick. You can register and pay online at www.playvictoriatexas.com or contact us at 361-485-3200.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, beginning at 9 a.m., the city will host a Kayak Clinic at the Municipal Pool on Ben Wilson Street. Members of the Coastal Bend Paddlers will teach interested people basic paddle strokes, safety, and how to read a river.

A hot dog lunch will be provided before everyone takes a trip down the paddling trail on the Guadalupe. Kayaks are provided by Canoe Trail Goliad.

Cost for the clinic, meal and trip down the Guadalupe is $10 per person. A parent must accompany a child if they are 12 years old or under. Registration is limited to the first 30 people.

How can I become an umpire?

With the addition of the new Youth Sports Complex and the increase in tournament and league play the need for umpires in Victoria is on the rise. There are several organizations that offer umpire opportunities. First is the Amateur Softball Association. They offer umpiring opportunities for both youth and adult competition.

Training usually takes place in the fall or early winter months.

If you are interested in becoming an umpire or want to learn more about ASA softball, contact the Parks Department.

Another organization that offers umpiring opportunities is Texas Association of Sports Officials. For more information go to the TASO website, www.TASO.org, navigate to the softball chapter directory, and search for the Victoria area chapter.

How often does the city spray for mosquitoes?

The goal of our mosquito operations is to reduce the numbers of mosquitoes through timely larviciding and adulticiding. Larvidicing is the process of treating standing bodies of water on city waterways, such as drainage ditches.

We apply a liquid that is approved for use on standing bodies of water.

Adulticiding is the process of spraying for adult mosquitoes using an aerial fogger.

Generally, mosquitoes will emerge as adults about three to four days after a rain.

Park staff will begin treating water after it begins to pool and stops flowing in ditches.

There are many areas we cannot treat because they are on private property. As a property owner you can purchase larvicide tablets from the local farm and ranch store, fill in low areas, and empty or cover rain water collection barrels.

In order to aerial spray for mosquitoes, the conditions must be right. The wind must be below 10 mph. This is the main condition that prevents us from spraying. We have to adhere to the pesticide label as it is regulated by the federal government.

Our staff is licensed by the state of Texas Department of Agriculture. We will spray for mosquitoes as long as the problems persist.

Doug Cochran is the director of parks and recreation for the Victoria Parks and Recreation Department. Contact him at 361-485-3200 or dcochran@victoriatx.org